Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 376 Territory Trade
"By the way, Hathaway, you need to select 500 free citizens to participate in this battle. We will take care of their food and lodging during this period. At the same time, I will give these 500 free citizens 500 one-star professional cards to strengthen their bodies."

"You'll need to coordinate that yourself."

Li Wei was very generous; he took out half of the thousand one-star professional cards that Duke Will had given him.

After all, they are his subordinate subjects. If they don't become strong, they can't necessarily form a fighting force immediately, but at the very least, they need to become robust. If they get sick and die, it will not only be Hathaway's loss, but also his loss.

Because Hathaway's future territory development will require her to pay him a 3% viscount tax every year!
That is, an additional 3% is added to the 50% royal tax and the 10% duke tax.

Who told you to be a vassal lord?
While receiving protection and assistance, one must also pay a certain price.

The matter was settled, and Li Yue and Hathaway had no further objections. In front of the two of them, Li Wei issued several orders in succession through the prestige card.

There was a message for Nelson, ordering him, as the steward of the territory, to coordinate the relevant personnel and supplies for handover and allocation early tomorrow morning.

Some were for Lenos, and some for Thomas.

very convenient.

At this moment, Hathaway quickly said, "Li Wei, I also transported a large amount of supplies on this trip. I am willing to sell twenty of the trucks and the supplies on them at cost price, for five thousand standard gold coins. What do you think?"

"That's too cheap. We're not strangers, I can't let you suffer a loss." Li Wei smiled. Hathaway's fifty-five carts of supplies, plus the price of the vehicles themselves, were valued at fifty thousand gold coins.

"Suffering losses isn't important. The main thing is whether we can open up trade and transactions between us?" Hathaway blinked, looking like a delicate, innocent flower.

"Hmm? That's feasible."

Li Wei casually remarked that he had been encouraging trade among free people, and it had been quite effective so far, but it was still far from prosperous. Therefore, he would be happy if Hathaway's territory could trade with his own. In fact, he even wanted to trade with Zhao Kewu and Ron, but that was simply unrealistic.

"Really? That's great! We're willing to contribute a portion of the commercial tax revenue from trade. Li Wei, what do you think the commercial tax should be set?"

"Hmm? Well, let's follow the usual practice: 10% of the transaction amount will be taxed and put into the territory's treasury."

Li Wei nodded. In fact, all of this was available for review, and Hathaway couldn't possibly play any tricks on him in this regard, because it was clear that she was going to focus on trade and commerce next, making it the economic pillar of the territory.

Li Wei agreed with this point. Even Li Yue didn't say anything. A vassal territory is not a slave territory. It must have a visible future and benefits. Otherwise, who would follow you?
"What about the pricing coefficient for the product? Is it calculated as a multiple of 10 or a multiple of 15?"

"Let's go with 10."

Li Wei felt a little guilty, and Hathaway felt the same way; this was something that needed to be resolved.

Because prices within the territory are definitely lower, it's impossible for them to be on par with those in Ver City right away.

For example, in Li Wei's current territory, the total monthly salary of all the free people who work, including wages, bonuses, and overtime pay, is only 482 standard gold coins.

After a month of spending, the free citizens will have approximately 300 standard gold coins back in Li Wei's hands...

Is this reasonable?

It's not really a big deal, but there's really not much to say. The market is only so big, wages are low, prices are low, there are no taxes, most people are guaranteed a communal meal and shared dormitories, so they won't go hungry or cold, and there's hope for the future.

As for the pricing coefficient that Li Wei and Hathaway just mentioned, it is the value obtained by dividing the prices in Ver City by ten, which is the price that both of them agree on.

Because to do business, both buyers and sellers need a price system that is mutually agreed upon and can be referenced.

At this moment, as Li Wei and Hathaway reached an agreement, they each took out their own development cards, touched them lightly, and instantly a golden light flashed, generating two golden trade cards.

At the same time, all free citizens aged 12 and above in Li Wei's territory and all free citizens aged 12 and above in Hathaway's territory received several messages.

[Viscount Li Wei of the Blazing Flame and Baron Hathaway of the Earth have signed a friendly trade agreement. The two parties agree to conduct trade under the following terms: within the next month, both parties should train at least three to five merchants to be in charge of this matter, and establish a trading port at the riverside fortress. However, at the same time, the lords of both parties can make minor adjustments or directly intervene in the trade at any time.]

[The detailed rules are as follows. Due to the length of the content, you may exit these rules if you are not interested.]

【…】

-

The commotion was quite significant. After thinking for a moment, Li Wei struck while the iron was hot and announced that the basic wages of the free citizens of the territory would continue to increase by 2%. At the same time, he released a full twenty bronze tokens into the market, which sold out in just a few seconds, instantly bringing Li Wei back 2000 gold coins.

Look, these free citizens still have strong purchasing power.

Next, Hathaway apologized and went to attend to her own affairs. With over a thousand people, there were simply too many things to handle every day.

"Xiaowei, tell me about your trip. I'm quite curious," Li Yue said.

So Li Wei gave a general account of his trip. Sometimes Li Yue would interrupt him, asking him to elaborate, such as in Ron's territory, or his interactions with the Red Witch Anna. Li Yue asked even more detailed questions about Li Wei's infiltration of the bridge fortress and his single-handedly destroying the half-goat super-spellcaster. "I didn't expect you to grow so quickly. Of course, Ah Dai's help was also indispensable. Don't try to do that again in the future. These half-goat super-spellcasters are extremely dangerous. I encountered one during a cross-border mission; one self-destruction killed everyone within a 300-meter radius."

"But then again, with +8 Perception, if you encounter that Neanderthal Dawn Knight again, you'll be able to fight him to a draw."

"By the way, if you're going to stay here at the Riverside Fortress, I'd like to make a trip to the west."

"Why?" Li Weiyi was stunned.
"Because I also need to fight, hone myself, and improve my destiny. I can't just stay here guarding your house forever. Look, your scout card has already reached three stars, while my rare knight card has only reached two stars. Aren't there many wandering superhuman squads in the west? It's a good opportunity for me to practice."

Li Yue smiled lightly, "Actually, we're not under much pressure in this mission right now. We already have a safety net. What we really need to consider is the cross-border mission three years from now. I bet if you can't get a new codename by then and instead enter the cross-border mission under the name Li Wei, you'll most likely be targeted and sniped by the Niger."

"Alright, that's enough. Also, here's a piece of advice: just treat Hathaway as a lover, don't think too much about anything else. She's not the type to settle down and be a homemaker."

With that, Li Yue smiled nonchalantly and disappeared into the distance, bathed in moonlight and starlight.

Li Wei watched Li Yue's figure disappear, and remained on the rooftop of the fortress for a long time, gazing into the distance. He could guess what Li Yue had gone to do: training was real, but so was causing trouble.

She's most likely after the red-clad witch Anna. Ron has been affected, and his territory will be destroyed sooner or later. Li Wei can't spare the time right now, so how to inherit some of Ron's legacy is a technical problem.

So entrusting this matter to Li Yue is a reliable option!
After returning to his room, Li Wei sat quietly for a long time, thinking for a long time before carefully activating the Development Card. With a thought, the card comprehensively and systematically presented all the efforts and gains he had made in the past seventeen months.

Here you can see everything he currently possesses, the progress of his mission, and what tasks still need to be completed.

It's similar to the task panel in a game.

Name: Li Wei

Age: 30

[Current Status: A four-star lord in the Alliance of Lords of the Heavens, and also a powerful baron and honorary viscount in the Kingdom of Locke]

[Current Class: 4-Star Farmer Card, 4-Star Hunter Card, 4-Star Lumberjack Card, 4-Star Rare Scout Card]

[Current Fate: Farmer 41, Hunter 62, Woodcutter 62, Scout 39]

[Current Attributes (including equipment and title): Health 530, Stamina 670, Strength 53, Agility 65, Defense 69, Spirit 30, Perception 8]

[Current Combat Class: Tier 2 Dark Ranger]

[Your current legal territory is 40 square kilometers. This means that as long as you don't die, it will be automatically registered as your territory after the three-year mission ends, and is protected by the laws of the Kingdom of Locke.]

[Your current illegal territory amounts to 300 square kilometers. This means that once you have actively occupied a place and established a fortress or long-term base there, the surrounding 100 square kilometers of land are illegally occupied by you. This illegality does not mean that you have violated the laws of the Kingdom of Locke, but rather that the land is not protected. You will need to fight for these lands.]

Your current territory population is 1208.

You currently have 2000 battle points and four Duke of Weil's Honor Medals. This means that once you collect ten Duke of Weil's Honor Medals, you can exchange them for one Kingdom of Locke Honor Medal.

Your current treasury assets are 295,472 gold coins, plus 80,000 barbarian gold coins (40,000 of which have already been distributed as dividends, but you are still responsible for the tax).

You currently own one three-star tavern, one three-star enchanted blacksmith workshop, one two-star magic mine, and one two-star temple.

You currently command a Riverside Knights Order.

You currently possess five silver-quality completion tokens and 112 iron-quality completion tokens.

You currently possess a five-star hunting pet.

You currently possess an unopened purple drop card that you can take out of this world. Someone might be willing to pay a high price to gamble on it; however, this is also a very luxurious and expensive gift, if you need something from someone.

[You are currently undertaking a city-building and expansion mission. The mission is progressing towards level 3 territory. Specific progress: 92%]

In summary, since you entered this exploration mission world, the wealth you have accumulated is approximately 600,000 standard gold coins. This includes everything except the supplies, weapons, equipment, and pets you initially brought into this world. All other resources, population, spoils, etc., acquired in this world will be recorded. You will need to pay taxes according to the rules before the mission ends and settlement begins. If you are still a powerful baron at this time, you will need to consume one Duke of Ver's Honor Medal and pay 300,000 standard gold coins in taxes.

If you are currently a powerful viscount, you only need to pay taxes of 150,000 standard gold coins. You will pay taxes on this amount every year thereafter. Furthermore, the Duke of Ver's Medal of Honor will be consumed every ten years. For example, if your income is 600,000 in the first three years, you will pay 150,000 in taxes. If your income is 100,000 in the fourth year, you will only need to pay 25,000 standard gold coins in taxes.

[Attached is a list of tax reductions: 1% tax reduction for annual sales of 1,000 kg of three-star wheat to higher-level departments; 5% tax reduction for annual sales of 1,000 kg of four-star wheat to higher-level departments.]

[If you sell a total of 100 four-star gold cards to higher-level departments, you will receive a 5% tax reduction.]

[If the cumulative sales of various potions, magic potions, and magical materials of three stars or above to higher-level departments reach a certain quantity, a tax reduction will be triggered.]

(End of this chapter)